Garment holder



I Sept. 29, 1936. F. P. GRUNKEMEYER 2,055,744 I GARMENT HOLDER FiledDeo. 27, 1934 @waff I,

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to holdersfor garments, such as trousers, coatsand the like, and more particularly to holders for trousers.

vSpeciiically the invention relates to trouser holders having means forstretching or pressing the trousers under tension and/or pressing orcreasing them.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is simple in construction, easy to operate and which maybe manufactured at a minimum cost.

Another object of my invention is to provide a vspring tension trouserholder which may or may not `support other garments.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a spring tensiontrouser holder designed when in operation to stretch or place thetrousers under tension and at the Sametime press and/ or crease thesame.

Other objects will be apparent upon perusal of the speciiication inwhich:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improved `garment holder with alpair of trousers held thereby yin operative relation.

Figure 2 is la fragmentary view showing the clamping bars and one set ofpressing or creasing bars closed.

Figure 3 is la viewsimilar to Figure 2 with the same bars open.

Referring tothe drawing, I designates :a support such as a bar having vasupporting hook 2. This bar may be shaped to support a coat orothergarment andmay be formed'of any suitable material such as Wood,metal, composition and s the like. The bar I has secured to it a rod orbar 3 of `suitable springy material such as metal, Wood and the like,and this `rod 3 may have its ends connected in any suitable manner tothe ends of vthebar I. The rod3 is designed to have flexibility,'resiliency and the like vfor purposes hereinafter `refered to.

,Depending 4from .the supporting bar I, preferably from the endsthereof, vare the vertical members or rods .4 which may `be fformed ofmetal,

4-5 and of sufficient :rigidity to permit the clamp 5 to -be operativelysupported thereon. This clamp 5 may be composed of two clamping membersor bars 6 and 1. The bar 6 at either end thereof has suitable bores orholes therein to receive 50 the vrods '4 and to vpermit the bars to havea sliding engagement with the rods 4.

The companion bar 'l' of the clamp 5 is secured to the bar 6 by means ofa pair, one at either end, of suitable spring connections I These 55spring connections or hinges Ymay be of any desired form, but I lpreferthe form shown in the drawing, a -description of one being suicient.

The spring connection shown, when in normal position, is of generalV-formation, having the leg 9 secured to the bar 6. This leg may be se-5 cured in any manner to the bar 6, as 'by frictionally engaging a boreIB. The other end or leg II of the spring connection may be frictionallyheld in the bore l2 of the bar 'I andterrninate in a suitable hook I3.The two legs of 10 the spring connection are connected by a coil I 4which gives elasticity and resiliency to the legs 9 and II; This coil ispreferably integral with the legs 9 and II, and the whole connection maybe made from a single piece of wire, 15 but I do not wish to limitmyselfto such a spring construction.

The clamping bars 6 and 'l of the clamp 5 may be made of wood or likematerial, and are normally held open, as in Figure 3, by the spring 20connections at either end of the bars, as shown. When the bars 6 and 1are together, or nearly so, the hooks I3 may engage the vertical rods 4,as shown .in Figure 2, and the clamp is in closed position. The hook isso shaped as to exert con- 25 siderable friction on the vertical rod 4,and thereby holding the clamp 5 securely in position on the verticalVrods 4, as will be more further described.

At either side of my improved 'holder are a pair 30 of presser orcreaser members I5. Each pair of creaser members is substantially alikeexcept for being located on-opposing sides, therefore the description ofone will be sufficient for both.

Each' creaser or presser member may be com- 35 posed of the bars I6 andIl vpreferably of wood, suitably hinged together, and disposedvertically of the holder. Each bar is made of suiiicient width as toproperly overlap the trouser-creases, and are of sufficient length as toextend along at 40 least the major portion of the trouser creases whenthe trousers are properly folded over vthe bar 3. One manner ofconnecting the bars I6 and I 'I of each presser orcreaser which hasproved eiiicient and satisfactory, comprises the looped or eye membersI8 and .I9 having their eyes 2U and 2l interlocked or looped together.These eye members are relatively long and permit the bars I6 and I'I toswing wide of each other to permit ample clearance when a pair oftrousers is to be inserted in the holder.

For exerting pressure on the bars, when in creasing or pressingposition, suitable spring devices may be employed, such as the springhooks 22 each with an eye 23 slidably engaging the 55 member I9, and ahook 24 for engagement with the member I8. The hook 24 may have aninclined portion Z4 engaged by the member I8 when the creasers areclosed. This permits the hook to be swung downwardly and requires only aslight pull up to close.

The creasers or pressers are secured to the holder by universal lugs 25.These lugs may be of any desired shape, cylindrical, cubical and thelike, and each has a vertical bore to receive the rods l and to permitthe lugs to slide and/or turn relatively thereon. Stop lugs 25 carryingthe customary set screw may be employed to limit the sliding action ofthe universal lugs on the rods 4. The lugs 25 also have a horizontalbore to receive one of the eye members such as i9, the said eye memberbeing slidable in the bore. The creaser bars are thus slidablevertically on the rods 4, and are also slidable horizontally toward andfrom each other, thus permitting different sized trousers to beaccommodated in the holder.

In use, a pair of trousers is folded over the spring bar 3, with thecuffs or lower ends of the trousers in or near alignment with the topedge of the trousers. The clamping member 5 is then brought intoposition with both ends of the trousers between the clamping bars 6 andl. These bars are then brought together and are pulled away from thesupporting bar I against the tension of the bar 3. After sucient pullhas been exerted, the bars 5 and 'I are clamped together by the hooks i3engaging the rods 4. There is suiiicient friction between the hooks I3and the rods 4 to hold the clamp 5 in its new or adjusted position onthe rods 4 against the tension of the spring bar 3. This frictionalengagement of the hooks I3 with the rods l may be assisted by a certainamount of friction between the rods 4 in their passage through bores inthe bar 6. Having the trousers now under tension tends to eradicatewrinkles and at the same time tautens and deines the creases in thefront and rear of the trouser legs. These creases might be said, by thetautening or tensioning action, to be sharpened to a knife-like edge.Then the clamping creaser bars are adjusted and applied to the creasesand suitably clamped by the spring clamps 22. The device may then besuspended by the hook 2 in the closet, or if no closet is available, belaid on a flat surface. If the trousers are left over night in theholder, it will be found in the morning that all wrinkles havedisappeared and the trousers are properly pressed and creased.

If the trousers are not to be worn the next day they may be left in theholders, and when the trousers are ready for use they will be found inexcellent shape.

My improved trouser holder is very useful when travelling, and thetrousers held therein may be properly packed in suitable trunks.

It will be seen that the clamping member5 cooperates with the spring rod3 to dene the creases or lessen the thickness of the creases andcooperates with the creaser bars to permit said bars to be accuratelyand correctly applied over the knife-like edges of the creases.

WhileA the rods 4 may be secured to the support I, in any desiredmanner, I have illustrated in Figure 1 one means of fastening. The rod 4has its upper end passed through a bore in the rod I and then bent backand passed through another bore preferably at an angle to the firstmentioned bore, with the eXtreme end bent outwardly from the secondbore. The showing in Figure 1 is thought to be a suicient illustrationof this feature.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the class described comprising a support, a resilient rodcarried by the support over which rod a pair of trousers is adapted tobe folded, a pair of relatively rigid vertical rods projecting from saidsupport, a clamping member slidable along the rods and adapted to engagethe ends of the trousers when folded over the resilient rod, saidclamping member movable on the Vertical rods away from the resilient rodto place the trousers under tension, and means engaging the bars tosecure the clamping member in clamping relation with the trousers and tosecure the clamping member in adjusted position on the bars.

2. A device of the class described comprising a support, a resilient rodcarried by the support over which a pair of trousers may be folded, apair of relatively rigid rods projecting from said support, a clampingmember comprising a pair of hinged clamping bars slidable along therigid rods, said clamping bars adapted to engage between them the endsof the trousers when folded over the resilient rod, said clamping barsmovable on the rigid rods away from the support to tension the trousers,means engaging the rigid rods to secure the clamping bars together andin adjusted position on the rigid rods, a pair of presser or creaserbars movable along the rigid rods and adapted to engage the trousers oneither side along the creases, and means for resiliently holding eachpair of creaser bars in creasing relation.

3. A device of the class described comprising a support, a resilient rodcarried by the support over which a pair of trousers is adapted to befolded, a pair of vertical rods projecting from said support, a clampingmember slidable along the Vertical rods and adapted to engage the endsof the trousers when folded over the resilient rod, said clamping membermovable Ion the rods away from the support to place the trousers undertension and to tauten and dene the creases in the front and rear of thetrousers, means engaging the vertical rods to secure the clamping memberin clamping relation with the trousers, and in adjusted position on therods, a pair of creaser bars adjustably mounted on the vertical rods forengaging the tautened creases of the trousers on opposite sides, andmeans for holding each pair of creaser bars in creasing relation to thetrousers.

4. A spring tension trouser holder comprising a support, a resilientmember carried by the support over which a pair of trousers may befolded, with the ends of the trousers in approximate alignment, a pairof relatively rigid rods also carried by the support, clamping meansmounted on the rigid rods for engaging the ends of the trousers, saidclamping means movable along the rigid rods away from the support andagainst the tension of the resilient member to stretch the trousers andto tauten and define the usual front and rear creases in the legsthereof, means for securing the clamp in adjusted position on the rigidrods away from said support, a pair of creaser bars adjustably mountedon the rigid rods, on either side of the trousers for engaging thetautened creases, and spring tensioning de- Vices to hold said bars increasing relation to the trousers.

5. A spring tension trouser holder comprising a support, a resilientmember carried by the support over which a pair of trousers is adaptedto be folded, a pair of rigid rods carried by the support, clampingmeans for cooperation with the resilient member to place a pair oftrousers under tension and to tauten and define the creases in the`front and rear legs of the trousers, a pair of creaser bars at eitherside of the trousers for engaging the tautened creases on oppositesides, means for hingedly connecting the creaser bars of a pairtogether, adjustable means on the rigid rods for supporting the creaserbars from the rods, and means for spring tensioning the bars of eachpair and holding them in creasing relation to the trousers.

6. A spring tension trouser holder comprising a support, means forsuspending a pair of trousers in folded relation from the support, apair of rigid rods carried by the support, a pair of creaser bars forengagement with the trousers along the front creases therein, a pair ofcreaser bars for engagement with the trousers along the rear creasestherein, means for supporting the creaser bars fr-m the rigid rods andto permit adjustment of the bars along the rigid rods, means forpermitting adjustment of each pair of creaser bars relative to theother, and spring tensioning means for holding the bars of each pair ofcreaser bars in creasing relation.

'7. A spring tension trouser holder comprising a support adapted to holda pair of trousers in folded position thereon, a pair of rigid rodssecured to the support, a pair of creaser bars for engagement with thetrousers along the front creases thereof, a pair of creaser bars forengagement with the trousers along the rear creases thereof, upper andlower elongated eye members secured to each bar of each pair, the uppereye members of each pair of creaser bars being interlocked, and thelower eye members of each pair of creaser bars being interlocked, a pairof slidable lugs on each rigid rod, means for connecting an upper andlower eye member with the lugs in slidable horizontal relation, meansfor holding the lugs in adjusted position on the rigid rods, andtensioning means engaging the eye members of each pair of creaser barsto hold said bars in creasing relation.

8. A spring tension trouser holder comprising a support adapted to holda pair of trousers in folded position thereon, a pair of rigid rodssecured to the support, a pair of creaser bars for engagement with thetrousers along the front creases thereof, a pair of creaser bars forengagement with the trousers along the rear creases thereof, upper andlower eye members secured to each bar of each pair, the eye membersbeing elongated and the upper eye members of each pair of creaser barsbeing interlocked with each other at a point beyond the rigid rods, andthe lower eye members of each pair of creaser bars being interlockedalso at a point beyond the rigid rods, whereby the creaser bars of eachpair may be swung relatively wide of each other, a pair of sliding lugson each rigid rod, means for holding said slidable lugs in adjustedposition on said rods, means for connecting an eye member of the creaserbars with the lugs in slidable horizontal relation, and springtensioning means engaging the eye members of each pair of creaser barsto hold said bars in creasing position.

9. In a device of the class described, a support, a resilient membercarried by the support over which a pair of trousers may be folded, aclamping member connected to the support, and adjustable toward and awayfrom the said support, said clamping member adapted to engage the endsof the trousers, and a single means for simultaneously holding theclamping member in clamping relation and in adjusted position away fromthe support to place the trousers under tension.

FRANK P. GRUNKEMEYER.

